April 13, 2003

Final Stats

Greensboro, N.C. - Jason Sarvis went 5-for-6 with four RBI, while Ryan Gordon pitched a gem through five innings to lead UNC Greensboro to a 14-2 victory over 29th-ranked Western Carolina Sunday afternoon at UNCG Baseball Stadium. The Spartans (25-9, 10-5 SoCon) completes a weekend sweep, marking the first time the Catamounts (23-13, 13-5) have been swept in the league since 2000.

UNC Greensboro took an early 3-0 lead with four hits in the bottom of the third. Robbie Redic had a leadoff single down the right field line and Allen Thomas followed with a single to right as well. Jason Sarvis made it three straight hits and plated two with a double to left-center field. Three batters later, Kirk Strebin got an infield single to shortstop, driving in Sarvis. The Spartans nearly made it a five-run inning, but WCU freshman centerfielder Matt Nelson made a spectacular diving catch to end the frame.

Three WCU errors in the bottom of the fifth led to three runs, making the score 6-0. Gordon started the bottom half with a two-base error. Then, Jay Maule was hit by a pitch and stole second. The throw got a away from Brett Kasten at second, allowing Gordon to score from third. Nate Alden tripled home Maule and scored one batter later when Wehner reached on an error.

The Catamounts chased Gordon, who only gave up one hit through five complete, in the top of the sixth after getting a leadoff double by Nelson, a walk to Kasten and an RBI double by Chris Davis. However, Jarrett Santos came out of the bullpen for the Spartans to strikeout Wayne Kilmer, Alan Beck and Todd Buchanan to end the threat.

The Spartans increased their lead to 8-1 with two runs in the sixth. Justin Saltalamacchia came through with a leadoff single and moved to third on Gordon's ground-rule double. Maule delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Saltalamacchia. Gordon later scored an unearned run when he stole third, but the throw was errant, allowing him come home.

UNCG's offense kept hot with six runs on six hits in the bottom of the seventh to put the game out of reach. Western managed a run in the top of the eighth thanks to a pair of UNCG errors. Nelson reached on an error to third and Kaster reached on an error to second. Kilmer singled off the first baseman's glove to plate Nelson.

In addition to Sarvis's big day, Thomas, Strebin, Saltalamacchia and Alden each collected two hits. Strebin added three RBI, while Alden and Wehner each drove in two. Gordon improved to 3-1 on the season. He pitched 5.0 innings, before leaving the game in sixth without getting an out. He gave up three hits and one run while walking two and striking out five.

Western's lone bright spot was Nelson, who was 2-for-4 and scoring WCU's only two runs. Brandon McDowell (3-2) took the loss, giving up six hits and three runs with three walks and two strikeouts.

Western Carolina will begin a five-game homestand starting Tuesday when the Catamounts host Tennessee Tech. First pitch is set for 7 pm. Western will turnaround the following night with a game with Gardner-Webb, also starting at 7 pm.